Table top construction



April 6, 1965 a. L. PILLIOD ETAL TABLE TOP CONSTRUCTION Filed May 13, 1963 INVENTORS GEORGE L. PILLIOD ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,176,353 TABLE TOP CONSTRUCTION George L. Pilliod and Herman E. Ernst, Swanton, Ohio, assignors to The Pilliod Cabinet Company, Swanton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed May 13, 1963, Ser. No. 279,760 2 Claims. (Cl. 20-15) The present invention relates to tables, and more particularly to an improvement in the construction of table tops.

In the manufacture of tables wherein certain components are adhesively secured, it is necessary to employ considerable care and attention to the removal of any excessive adhesive which may be forced to an exposed area during the assembly of the table. The inspection of the tables and the necessary removal of the excessive adhesive has been found to be an expensive matter, particularly in the case of mass produced tables.

It is an object of the present invention to produce a table top construction which incorporates a simple and unique means for eliminating the necessity of removing excess glue from the juncture of a table top panel and an associate adhesively secured frame.

A further object of the invention is to produce a table top construction wherein there can be a slight mismatch or difference in the outer or marginal dimensions of a table top panel and the associate top frame which is not apparent.

A still further object of the invention is to produce a table top construction which may be readily and economically manufactured.

These and other objects of the invention may be realized by a construction comprising a substantially planar top panel having an upper and a lower surface, a frame for said top panel, the outer dimensions of which are substantially coextensive with the top panel, the upper surface of the frame having a substantially flat inner portion and a downwardly tapering outer portion, and adhesive means for securing the flat inner portion of the upper surface of the frame to the bottom surface of the top panel.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from reading the following detailed description in connection with the attached drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a table constructed in accordance with the invention with parts broken away to more clearly illustrate the structure; and

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the table top assembly illustrated in FIG. 1 taken along line 2--2 thereof.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown a table structure comprised of a substantially planar extended surface top panel generally indicated by reference numeral having an upper surface 12 and a lower surface 14. Although the top panel 10 may be made of a thin sheet of wood, successful results have been obtained from using a pressure laminated-plastic hardboard c0nstruction such as that manufactured and sold under the trademark Masonite.

The top panel 10 is provided with a frame 16 which is typically formed of wood stock. The frame 16 has an upper surface, the inner portion 18 of which is substantially flat and outer portion 20 which tapers downwardly.

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The function of the top surface configuration will be more completely explained hereinafter.

The table structure further comprises a set of leg members 22, the lower ends of which engage a floor or other suitable supporting surface, while the other ends are provided with hanger bolts or externally threaded shank members (not shown) which are conventional in the furniture industry. The hanger bolts are suitably secured to the under surface 24 in one of the conventional manners. The legs 22 are further provided with means to support a shelf 26 in parallel spaced relation below the top 10.

As will be noted with reference to FIG. 2, an adhesive material 28, such as, for example, a polyester glue, is applied between the under surface 14 of the top panel 10 and the fiat inner portion 18 of the frame 16. When these two elements (the top panel 10 and the frame 16) are pressed together, there are certain places therebetween wherein an excess of the adhesive material 28 is squeezed into the zone defined by the under surface 14 of the top panel 10 and the tapered outer portion of the frame 16. The excess adhesive material is illustrated by reference numeral 30 in FIG. 2. It will be appreciated that since the zone defined by the under surface 14 and the tapered outer portion 20 is substantially inward of the outer marginal edge of the top panel 10, the excess adhesive is not visible and, therefore, no need arises to remove the same.

Furthermore, since in the assembled form the outermost edge of the lower surface 14 of the top panel 10 is spaced from the respective outermost edge of the tapered outer portion 20 of the frame 16, there can be a slight mismatch between the size or relative disposition of the top and the frame without being apparent to the naked eye.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description that a table top structure produced in accordance therewith can be readily and economically accomplished without a reduction in the quality of the finished product.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, we have explained the principle and mode of operation of our invention and have illustrated and described what we now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, we desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

We claim:

1. A table top construction comprising an extended surface top panel, a frame member underlying said top panel in surface-to-surface contact therewith and extending completely around the edges thereof, the outer marginal edge of said frame member being substantially coextensive with the outer marginal edge of said top panel, adhesive means securing the upper surface of said frame member to the under surface of said top panel, and a bevel extending continuously about the outer portion of the marginal edges of the upper surface of said frame member and extending inwardly of said frame member at least a portion of the depth of said frame member to provide a spaced zone between the under surface of said top panel and the upper surface of said frame member for the reception of excess adhesive.

2. A table top construction comprising an extended surface top panel, a frame member underlying said top panel in surfac e to-sur face Contact therewith and extending completely around -the edges thereof, the outermarginal edge of said frame member being substantially co- A extensive with the outer marginal edge of said toppanel, adhesive means securing the upper surface of said frame member-to the undersurfac'e of said top panel, and a bevel on one of said top panel and said frame member, said bevel extending continuously about the outer portion of r the marginal edges of the uppersurface of said frame member and the adjacent undersurface of said top panel and extending inwardly thereof at least a portion of the distance of said frame member to provide-a spaced zone between the undersurfaeeof said top panel and the upper I 2,900,676 8/59 Kahr -2os9 X 2,957,737, 10/60 Irwin 2Q 15 v HARRISON R. MOSELEY, R rimaryfExaminer.

R. P. MACHADO, Examiner. 

1. A TABLE TOP CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING AN EXTENDED SURFACE TOP PANEL, A FRAME MEMBER UNDERLYING SAID TOP PANEL IN SURFACE-TO-SURFACE CONTACT THEREWITH SAID EXTENDING COMPLETELY AROUND THE EDGES THEREOF, THE OUTER MARGINAL EDE OF SAID FRAME MEMBER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH THE OUTER MARGINAL EDGE OF SAID TOP PANEL, ADHESIVE MEANS SECURING THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID FRAME MEMBER TO THE UNDER SURFACE OF SAID TOP PANEL, AND A BEVEL EXTENDING CONTINUOUSLY ABOUT THE OUTER PORTION OF THE MARGINAL EDGES OF THE UPPER SURFACE OF SID FRAME MEMBER AND EXTENDING INWARDLY OF SAID FRAME MEMBER AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE DEPTH OF SAID FRAME MEMBER TO PROVIDE A SPACED ZONE BETWEEN THE UNDER SURFACE OF SAID TOP PANEL 